Autobiographies of unusual people always make interesting reading. I bought this book, Beloved Witch after I saw Ipsita’s interview on a television channel. In the interview, she did look mystic and a mystery. And hence the curiosity to have a peep into that mysterious life. And besides, that ‘Witch’ had always been a subject that I wanted to know about. But had no means to find anything about except by reading on the net.
Beloved Witch by Ipsita Roy Chakraverti
Ipsita was born into a well-known Bengali family. Her maternal grandparents were in the who’s who of West Bengal. Her father was a diplomat and was posted in Canada. And that is where she spent most of her childhood and growing up years and chose to be a witch. She is beautiful and she knows that she is and the impact she had on people. She is not only strong but smart enough to know what she is doing. Where it can land her and how to tackle that situation. She wants power, the power to have things her way. And the power to control people and things around her. But the important point is that she knows it and acknowledges it and works towards it.
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Now power is something that most of us want. Just like most of us want control over everything that happens in our lives and around us. But how many of us understand this inner yearning of ours and then have the courage to spell it out? She goes all out and goes out and gets it. She makes her own decisions and charts her own path. It’s not that life was always smooth for her; she did face hardships in terms of dealing with her relatives when she returned to Calcutta.
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As she writes about her life and the various people she met during her journey, her family, her Wicca group, her friends, men in her life, relatives back home, people she healed, the women she met in the interiors of Bihar, famous people she met and heeled, her husband and finally and fondly her daughter.
She shares the pages from her diary, which really reveal her mind at that point in time. It’s interesting to see how she describes her meeting with prospective grooms and how she reads their minds. How she met her husband and amusingly how she did the background research on him before she decided to marry him.
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She does mention a couple of rituals that can help readers experience the Wicca magic. But she has not really mentioned a lot about witchcraft itself. Probably she does not want to reveal too much to an untrained mind. But I would have wanted to know more about the craft and some references (an unlikely thing to expect from a biography).
Beloved Witch makes interesting reading, you can read it like a storybook. Some parts of the book seem to be far from reality and not so usual. But there are a lot of parts that you can relate to very easily. Ipsita is a celebrity in her own right but at the same time very different from the celebrities that we are used to, and the anecdotes from her life are interestingly portrayed.
Buy Beloved Witch by Ipsita Roy Chakraverti on Amazon
Updates
An account of Chakraverti’s life as a Wiccan, a modern pagan religion that emphasizes the importance of nature, magic, and female power. It begins with her childhood in Kolkata, India. She describes her early interest in the occult and her experiences with psychic phenomena. As a teenager, she began to explore Wicca and other forms of witchcraft.
Beloved Witch is a candid and revealing account of Chakraverti’s life. She writes about her struggles with addiction, her relationships with men, and her spiritual journey. A testament to the power of Wicca and the importance of female empowerment.
This is a typical bengali mind…:)
This is how most Bengali women think but it could be true for some women too…
Hi
Nice to read the blog on Ipsita. I have read both the books and find them fascinating. I share the same name as her too though I added an alphabet when I grew up. Wicca is really interesting.
Take care,
Yps
I came across the book in a library while I was attending a camp. Found it damn interesting but didn't have the time to sit and read it through. So I'm planning to buy it, tried to get a fair review online but couldn't. Your post is just what I was looking out for.Thanx.
Besides that, I really find your blog profile interesting. Writing and travelling is something I love to do as well.
Hi there,
I want both these books. Can anyone help me in this.
Please
Thanks,
Vishakha
email:[email protected]